Will the Angel experts Stand Up!

[nbd13]

Any angel experts?
Hey guys well to make a long story short i have a very agressive 3-4" blueface angel in my 180 SPS tank. he is a great fish that is very personable.

anyway i am upgrading to a bigger tank at the end of august,

i love angels and would like to add one more to my tank.

the new tank will be 275 gallons (60" long by 44" deep by 24" high)

anyway it will be very open so fish can swim freely.

anyway this is a list of my current fish,

2 ocellaris clowns
1 labouti fairy wrasse
1 lineatus fairy wrasse
1 rhomboid fairy wrasse
1 orange back fairy wrasse
1 foxface lo
1 blueface angel

now i just tried to intoduce a small 2" copperband butterfly yesterday and the blueface would not leave him alone, he kept nipping at his fins... i am going to have to remove him...

anyway for the new tank i will add 1 tang and i would like to add 1 more angel....

now for the tangs, i am thinking a chevron tang or black tang.....

NOW for the angel, i need something more agressive than the blueface.

what do you recomend?

i like goldflakes, regals (i know how difficult they are), emperors, conspics (knwo how much they are), bluelines, and chyrus (sp?).

anyway i was planning on getting the new angel the day i will do the transfer, that way both angels will be in a new home...

also to add one more thing, i have a foxface lo in the tank you know with the venomus spines... anyway the blueface will chase him to, the foxface will just put his fins up but the blueface will still run into them. its very odd to have this agressive of a blueface! most of the bluefaces i have read about are very peaceful..... its weird though it has almost killed this poor copperband, luckily someone local is taking him from me tomorrow, but its weird that he goes after the foxface too.

now should i maybe take the blueface out when i do the transfer to the bigger tank? i mean the new tank will be in a new spot so it will be easy to do.. but should i take the blueface out and get 2 other angels that i like?

what do you think?

thanks!

Nick

[moonpod]

OK, first off your blueface is a nut job. To quote my daughter, that fish is a "bad hat". I would get rid of him and get two nice angels that introduce at the time of your tank change. The other option, get whatever angel you want and when you do the tank change, but the blueface in the sump for awhile, while the other fish acclimate. That way when you put him back in the tank, he will have an attitude "adjustment."

That being said I'm no "expert".

[nbd13]

yeah what angels whould you go with considering this is an SPS tank?

i was thinking conspic and maybe regal? or majestic?

what do you think?

thanks Chuck.

i may end up getting rite of the blueface at the change of the tanks...

anyway would the blueface be happy in the sump?

thanks!

Nick

[nbd13]

i am wondering if a conspic would get along with the blueface? i mean then again i do not want to waste 800 bucks to have the blueface kill him....

Nick

[nbd13]

i forgot to say i know you have alot of angels, do you notice any agression when you add new angels to the tank?

i mean is there a stocking order i should follow with angels?

like should i get the regal first then the conspic or lets say i go with a majestic should i get that one then the conspic?

thanks!

Nick

[moonpod]

In general avoid stocking similar size angels and similar types. ie I introduce my pomacanthus angels together as juvies. The goldflake was larger than the others on introduction and is a different type anyways. The regal was first.

I dunno much about conspic behavior first hand, but for sure I won't try one until my large tank is up and running.

[nbd13]

yeah thanks Chuck, i think i may get that blueface out when i tracnsfer tanks and get a regal and either a majestic conspic or goldflake...

we will see.

thanks again for the help!

did you ever get your tank ordered?

thanks!

Nick

[nbd13]

what do you guys think about the combo of a conspic and a majestic?

would the conspic and current blueface work? or is it an big risk?

thanks!

Nick

[moonpod]

I think anything and your head case blueface is a risk.

My new tank will prolly be ordered by today or tomorrow. Problems with the original contract. Deciding between 2 bids right now.

[VegasMike]

Nick,

That Blueface does sound like a nut-job. Mine is much smaller than the other Angels and also much more timid, no problems with that fish at all. I have the following Angels, as you probably remember:

6" Conspic
5" Changing Imperator
3" Blueface

I have had a Regal and a Goldflake in the past. The Regal ate at first, but then died while I was on vacation last summer, don't know whether it stopped eating or what. The Goldflake made the transfer from the 150 to the 450 fine, but died a few months after the transfer, really don't know why on this one either.

As far as aggressiveness amongst my angels, the Imp is the most assertive, but is all grunt and no bite. The Conspic is the largest fish in the tank and doesn't take or give any grief, really the perfect fish so far, knock on wood. I have had him a little over six months now. The Imp will chase any new addition for about a day and then give up. I think it actually helps that there are so many fish in my tank and the tank is pretty large. It chased the poor little Blueface for a few days, but it always had the ability to duck into placed the Imp couldn't get to.

I'm with Chuck on the change in venue. Get any new Angel to eat well before adding the Blueface back into the mix. I would also try and get the newer angel slightly larger than the existing angel. The Goldflake and Majestic will probably be timid at first, but it's always a guessing game, every fish/situation is different.

Good Luck,

Mike

[Old Yeller Tang]

Nick,

If I could add another large angel with my mature Emperor, it would be a Majestic. I know these two are common, but their colors are far the prettiest imo. Glad they are common because if they weren't, imagine the price tag on them since they're colors are nicer than Conspics.
I do like the Goldflakes because they kinda look like a little like butterfly fish.
I would definitely do what Chuck said, and just get 2 new angles and lose the Blueface.

Roland

[VegasMike]

OK Roland, them are fighting words. The Conspic is a very different fish in person, with the orange face, electric purplish blue striping and greyish body that looks orangish whenever the light hits it right, not to mention the very defined yellow and white on the tail and it's gregarious personality.

That being said, my Imperator is changing almost daily into its' adult coloration. He just doesn't have the same personality my Conspic has, but coloration-wise, they are just very different looking fish, as is the Blueface.

The funny thing is that with all of these colorful fish, my wife's favorite is still the Lawnmower Blenny, go figure.

Mike

[nbd13]

Hey guys thanks for the support, as much as i hate to do it, the blueface will be leaving after i make the transfer...

i am going to get 2 new angels probably the conspic and most likely either a majestic or a emperor.....

but who knows,

would either the combo of a conspic and majestic or conspic and emperor be ok?

i was thinking of introducing the conspic last? and either the majestic or emperor first?

what do you think?

i really hate to give the blueface away as its a great fish, but this just doesnt seem like it will work out. plus i woudl hate to put him in the sump since the skimmer will be there and the zeo reactors....

i would hate to get a conspic and put both of them in the new tank and then have the blueface kill the conspic.

i guess i will have to bite the bullet so to speak and sell the blueface....

its a shame but my dream is a conspic and it looks like it will not work out with the blueface that i have now...

Nick

[nbd13]

actually now that i am thinking of it i might try to get someone to hold my blueface for awhile and just get the conspic like 1-2 weeks after i tansfer the tanks and then like 2-4 weeks later introduce the blueface back to the tank? what do you think?

do you think i could do 3 angels in my tank size 60x44x24? i know its only 5 feet long, but the depth is great.....

i was thinking of doing the majestic, conspic, blueface?

in that order of addition?

or maybe just the conspic and blueface?

what do you think? would having the blueface at someone elses tank for liek a month help? that way the conspic could get a feel for the new tank and i woudl get him like 1" bigger than the blueface?

what do you think?

thanks!

Nick

[moonpod]

Well my opinion, alot of this depends on your ability to find healthy fish. IN GENERAL, majestics are mildly shyer than bluefaces. I dunno a conspic, but the ones I've seen are generally pretty big, so I doubt they'll be hounded much. Little conspics are far and few between.